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15. Rhaphidophora tetrasperma Hook.f.
Rhaphidophora tetrasperma Hook.f., Fl. Brit. India 6 (1893) 548; Ridl., Mat. Fl. Malay.Malay Penins. 3 (1907) 44--45; Engl. & K. Krause in Engl., Pflanzenr. 37 (IV.23B) (1908) 48; Ridl., Fl. Malay.Malay Penins. 5 (1925) 124 - Type: Malaysia, Perak, Scortechini 169b (K, holo).
Distribution: Peninsular Malaysia (Kelantan, Perak). Also), distributed in and southern Thailand.move
Small to medium-sized, rather slender, semi-pachycaul, heterophyllous liane to 5 m; seedling stage a non-skototropic shingling juvenile shoot; pre-adult plants very rarely forming terrestrial colonies; adult shoot architecture comprised of elongated, weakly clinging, physiognomically monopodial, flexuous, moderately leafy, non-flowering stems and weakly adherent or, more commonly, free lateral flowering stems; stems smooth, without prophyll, cataphyll and petiolar sheath fibre, internodes to 14 x 1 cm, separated by prominent straight leaf scars; flagellate foraging stems not observed; clasping roots sparsely produced from nodes and internodes; feeding roots stout, produced singly or in pairs from most nodes of free shoots; leaves weakly spiral-distichous; cataphylls and prophylls membranous, soon drying and falling; petiole shallowly grooved, 10--34 x 0.2--0.4 cm, smooth, apical and basal genicula slightly prominent; petiolar sheath prominent, extending to base of apical geniculum, soon falling to leave a pr
ominent, slightly corky scar; lamina sparsely to + entirely deeply pinnatipartite to nearly pinnatisect, occasionally with large rhombic perforations adjacent to mid-rib, 12--42 x 9.5--38 cm, broadly ovate to ovate-lanceolate, thinly coriaceous, base truncate or very weakly cordate, apex acute to acuminate, individual pinnae up to 6 cm wide; mid-rib prominently raised abaxially, slightly sunken adaxially; primary venation pinnate, raised abaxially, slightly impressed adaxially; interprimaries diverging from primaries, much less prominent, slightly raised abaxially, very slightly impressed adaxially; secondary venation weakly reticulate, very slightly raised; tertiary venation barely visible; inflorescence few together, subtended by two prominent cataphylls, these soon falling; peduncle terete, 2--2.5 x 0.3--0.4 cm; spathe canoe-shaped, 3--3.5 x 0.8--1.5 cm, stiffly fleshy, apparently falling swiftly, white with adherent black cataphyll remnants; spadix cylindrical, sessile, inserted slightly decurrently on p
eduncle, 3--3.5 x 0.75 - 1 cm, white; stylar region well developed, mostly rhombohexagonal, c.c. 2 x 2 mm, truncate, margins deflexed; stigma elliptic, longitudinally orientated, c.c. 1 x 0.2 mm; anthers exserted at anthesis; infructescence not observed.
Habitat: Disturbed rather dry to moist or wet forest on sandstone and granite. 190--760 m altitude.
Notes: As noted under above, R. tetrasperma most closely resembles R. nicolsonii but may be distinguished readily on petiole sheath and leaf lamina characters.
Other specimens seen: PENINSULAR MALAYSIA: Kelantan, Tanah Merah, Pergau Dam site, logging road to Sg Long Intake 1, Boyce 652 (K, KEP); Perak, Bidor Corner SFN s.n. (SING).
Steve,
The leaf on your photo seem to grow not from the petiole sheath like in Monstera, but from a leaf scar like in Philodendron. Btw aren't the leaves more stiff than in Monstera deliciosa?
Marek
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